Marilyn Monroe 1926-1962
The New York Daily News has republished film critic Kate Cameron’s original rave review of Some Like it Hot from March 30, 1959 (click below to view at full size.) Hailing it as ‘one of the funniest films I’ve seen in years’, she commented that ‘Marilyn not only sings but has a great natural flair for comedy.’ (You can read more of Ms Cameron’s thoughts on Marilyn and her movies here.)
In honour of Undressed: A Brief of History of Culture, a new exhibit at London’s V&A, The Guardian names Marilyn’s ‘subway scene’ from The Seven Year Itch among their Top 10 Iconic Underwear Moments.
Following the Marilyn retrospective at London’s BFI Southbank last year, two of her most acclaimed films will be screened in May: All About Eve on the 9th, 10th, 11th (with intro by BFI Cinemas head Helen de Witt) and 14th; and Some Like it Hot on the 19th, 22nd and 31st. Both are part of the BFI’s new, ongoing Big Screen Classics series, with a theme of ‘the magic of words’ and tickets priced at £8.
A press release announcing an interactive, multi-media Marilyn Monroe exhibition has been published at Business Wire. The exhibition will be presented in 2017 by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the licensing arm of Marilyn’s estate, in partnership with POP Experience, a Las Vegas-based entertainment company. Interestingly, the article has been shared by the estate of Milton Greene on their Facebook page, Archives LLC.
“The POP Marilyn Experience is being curated for a broad audience – from the most avid fans to newcomers. The highly interactive experience will provide a brand new look into Marilyn Monroe’s life, telling the story of how she became one of the world’s most famous female celebrities and why she continues to resonate in the modern, digital age … blending digital, storytelling, and gameplay to create connected immersive experiences. This unique blend of creativity and technology that people use every day allows personalized access and agency into Marilyn’s life.
Audience participation is key to the POP Marilyn Experience, which will allow them to walk in Marilyn’s shoes through intimate experiential content and hands-on interactivity. Combining thought provoking art installations with spectacular design and 21st century light and sound, the exhibition will forge a groundbreaking and lasting impression, outside the scope of a traditional museum exhibit.
With a vast assemblage of rare and many never-before-seen large format photos, a cinema space showcasing films, excerpts and clips from live appearances, original works by famed artists, annotated scripts, movie props and set pieces, home furnishings and artwork from her estate, personal letters and much more, the POP Marilyn Experience will showcase both the public, personal and very private life of the glamorous film star.
More details about the POP Marilyn Experience, including the launch date, city and venue will be announced later in 2016.”
As previously reported by ES Updates, Mel Gussow’s Conversations With Arthur Miller is now back in print, and has been praised by Reviews Hub.
“Talking of the death of Monroe, Gussow asks if Miller believes he could have saved her. It’s not a straightforward answer, one that reflects the complexity of Monroe and those who surrounded her. ‘She was beyond help. It’s a failing in me, no doubt, but also a failing in every other human being she came into contact with, including, as I say, some of the most competent and devoted doctors.’
It’s a frank insight that sheds light on the pair’s destructive relationship but Gussow and Miller extend the conversation to look at the wider issues of fame, teenage thoughts of invincibility and the power of image.”
William Inge’s much-loved play, Bus Stop – so memorably filmed with Marilyn in 1956 – is currently being revived at the Redlands Footlighters Theater in California through to April 24, reports Redlands Daily Facts, with local resident Loran Wilson making her acting debut as Cherie.
A new display of vintage Marilyn-related ephemera can now be seen at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! in Times Square, NYC, reports City Guide.
“Newly up is a fascinating collection of newspaper articles, portraits, and memorabilia related to Marilyn Monroe, arguably the most recognized woman in the world. Browse everything from pages taken from her infamous calendar to magazine covers, from her driver’s license to the highly collectible postage stamps that bear her likeness. Monroe’s Korean USO tour of the winter of 1954 was the talk of the army, and the world. Only at Ripley’s can you see the original petition from the soldiers asking her to perform, as well as a staged Valentine from the troops. This collection shows a side of Marilyn Monroe that many have not seen before.”
British author Elton Townend-Jones’ play, The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe, has been touring the UK since 2013, and the script was recently published by Samuel French. It makes its US debut this weekend, as a one-woman show starring Rosaletta Curry at the Chameleon Theatre in Port Townsend, Washington, reports PT Leader.
Tickets are $15 or $10 for students, available at the door or through brownpapertickets.com. But hurry – the final performance is tonight!
“Curry found the script quite by chance in a London bookshop. She sat down and read it all the way through, drawn to Monroe’s utter vulnerability and openness and humor and just blunt honesty in the play.
‘What’s really interesting is it’s a very surprising play. It surprised me when I first read it and I think it will surprise the audience,’ said Curry. ‘There are not that many solo plays written, and it’s hard to find one you can relate to.’
Luckily for Curry, 23, a recent graduate of Drama Centre London’s year-long program, the rights for the play were available for the U.S., and a visit home to Jefferson County provided the opportunity to produce the play.
The play takes place in Monroe’s bedroom, created in the intimate space of Chameleon Theater, which has just 32 seats.
‘It takes place the hour before her death,’ said Curry. ‘She basically revisits her whole life … The audience is very much a part of this show,’ explained Curry. ‘It’s very, very immersive. They don’t do anything, but they are very much a character. They’re present and she speaks to them directly throughout the play, and she’s aware of them throughout the play.’
‘Something I found incredibly useful was going directly to the source if I could, and there’s this incredible book called Fragments that just has her notes, her poems, her notes and photographs, and that’s all it has. So it’s her written journal and it doesn’t have anyone else’s ideas about what she was like. It’s just her talking about herself or her experiences on paper.
‘As an actor, that helped me connect with not only how she perceived herself but also just how she sees the world, her thought patterns. Just even the way she scrawled things upside down – and this connects with how a character sees the world.'”